The Silver Lining
by TheAvianChronicler
Summary: Tigress has done something to Crane, something terrible; he's badly hurt and it's all her fault. As her dark past catches up with her, Tigress can't help but ask herself: Is it possible that some dark clouds may have no silver lining?
1. The Injury

**[UPDATE] – When I originally wrote _The Silver Lining_, I was in a bit of a rush and, due to some rather tight time constraints, could only publish a 'less-than-perfect' version of it. Ashamed, I vowed to refine the fic to meet the extraordinarily high expectations of an OCD-perfectionist like me!**

**Hello ! After writing the tragic tale of _No Mercy: A Rewrite_, I figured that the best way to show that TheAvianChronicler does indeed have a heart would be by writing something a little more... upbeat. Having a PLETHORA of ideas (like, 4) to write about, I figured the most interesting would be a unique romance between Crane and... Tigress? Yes, a relationship rarely explored, but one that I feel has the potential to be just as powerful as Crane / Viper and Crane / Mei Ling. As a rather new member of the FanFiction community, I proudly present _The Silver Lining!_**

**Chapter 1 – The Injury**

The morning light shown in through the open ceiling, the natural grass "floor" seeming to breathe in tandem with the whispering breeze. In the center of the room was a large platform, though the only shadows in the room emanated from the far corner, where a small entrance with a rice-paper sliding door remained open, revealing the dirt path that lead to the rest of the Jade Palace and a magnificent view of the Valley of Peace. The wooden walls were rather tall, yet ironically from a distance could probably be mistaken for a (rather unattractive) fence. It was easily the most spacious room in the Jade Palace, largely due to the fact that it was not a room at all, but rather a courtyard. It was here, in the sparring room, that Master Shifu paced in front of his students, the Furious Five, guardians of the Valley, and their eyes never left his small form.

Hands behind his back, he pondered the events of the previous evening, when a small argument had broken out during supper between Viper and Tigress. It was over something silly, but obviously was important to them, because _"she did this"_ and _"no that's bullshit 'cause she did that!"_ For the small Master, it was all very amusing.

_Oh, my silly little pupils, I have seen you grow, seen you learn, seen you mature and evolve into the greatest warriors the valley has ever known __**-**__ and yet you are still so much like children!_

In a way, he envied them, so care-free, so _at peace..._

The red panda stopped pacing and realized he was smiling. Apparently his students had noticed, too, for he saw an air of puzzlement in all their eyes. Yes, it was true, he never did really smile much anymore, mostly due to the failure of his last student.

_Thank the heavens he was locked in Chor Gom._

The panda's smile disappeared at that thought, and his mind returned to the matter at hand.

Tigress and Viper's argument had given Shifu a plan, and now a dangerously clever smile replaced the previous one of joy.

He was going to test the feline.

"Tigress, Crane, in the arena. Weapons only."

* * *

Tigress sighed. She always disliked weaponized combat, something Shifu called a "necessity of knowledge."

Pfft.

As wise as he was, Tigress just didn't get the red panda sometimes.

Crane flew up onto the arena platform with his weapon of choice: a chain. For Crane, the chain was a natural extension of his body, but to Tigress a weapon just seemed like extra weight.

On her way towards the arena, she snagged a staff from Monkey, who shrunk back and muttered: "what's wrong with her today..."

Without looking back she returned the primate's words with a low growl.

Tigress kept her pace up as she approached the arena, which remained supported several meters above the ground by an intricate network of awkwardly-sized struts.

The argument the previous night had been so incredibly _stupid_, an argument over nothing. Tigress hadn't started it, but had been determined to end it, and in doing so had embarrassed herself in front of Shifu.

She had lost her temper. Pure and simple and**-**

_Not true!_

It was always that "thing" that no one discussed because no one felt the need to bring it up. Everyone knew that Tigress was quick to temper. What of it?

The real problem was her acceptance of it, which was exactly the topic of a certain disagreement the night before.

She climbed onto the large platform they called the "arena" and was greeted with a cheery tone.

"You ready, Tigress?"

She knew the avian's words were well meant, but still rolled her eyes in response.

The bird tried to ignore this as he shifted into battle stance, chain in one talon. Tigress then followed suit. Shifu quickly glanced at both warriors, smiled, then:

"Begin."

Tigress leapt through the air with brutal speed, the staff extended to deliver a blow. Crane had apparently anticipated this for, just as the staff was to connect with him, he spun, the chain encircling him and deflecting the blow. Tigress bounced back as Crane quickly lashed the chain, the staff and it connecting once more. The bird then soared skyward when**-**

Monkey watched the fight, eyes glazed with disinterest. His head shifted toward Mantis, who had perched on his shoulder.

"Maaantisss..."

The insect wasn't phased.

"_Mantis!_"

He jumped and nearly fell off his shoulder. After regaining his balance, he answered with a playful "_hmmm?_"

Monkey couldn't stay interested in the spar at hand.

He was too excited about other things.

"Did you overhear what Shifu told me this morning?"

_Oh hell yes!_

Mantis was always a good listener, even when he wasn't supposed to be listening. He had always been one to enjoy spying in on other people's business. And this morning was no exception.

"But when talked to you, did you think he actually meant it?"

Monkey's face contorted in deep thought.

"I don't know. You were there! What do you think?"

The insect just smiled.

* * *

Tigress and Crane continued to trade blows until**-**

"Wow, this is taking, like, _forever_! Could ya' _maybe_ hurry it up a little, Tigress!"

Tigress stopped and turned to look at the insect.

"Mantis, I**-**"

She stopped as Crane's chain sliced through the air toward her head. Her staff shot it back with a loud and hollow _thwack!_

"Tigress!" Shifu shot, "Pay attention! In combat, a single distraction could mean life or death!"

Tigress let out an annoyed sigh and returned to the battle at hand. Then**-**

"_Go Crane**-**"_

"_Monkey, just shut the hell up!_"

Shifu glared at her, and Tigress got the message.

_I can't believe this, he's not going to do _anything_ about it! Arrgh!

* * *

_

As the battle raged on, so did Monkey and Mantis.

_He probably thinks this is good training or something stupid like that**-**_

Tigress felt something tug at her hand, and saw that Crane's chain had wound itself around her staff. Instinctively she pulled, trying to release it.

_You think you're gonna' disarm me, are you? We'll see about that**-**_

Crane tried to free his chain from it's death**-**grip on Tigress' staff but found it bound unyieldingly tight. Furiously they tugged, fueled by Monkey and Mantis' banter until**-**

Suddenly, the tension on her staff released and the feline, without any chance to stop herself, shot forward. The bird did the same.

Tigress felt something slam into her abdomen and fall in her arms. She slowly shifted her eyes downward, knowing what she would see.

Mantis and Monkey turned toward each other, eyes wide, biting their lips.

Crane looked up at the feline, his head adjacent with and resting on her stomach. He was being held up by Tigress, supported in her arms, which she guessed had caught him out of sheer instinct before he could fall. His wings had slid down her back and firmly grasped (also out of sheer instinct) the first thing they could use to catch himself on.

Their eyes locked, first showing uncertainty, then gradual surprise. Tigress watched the bird's expression quickly shift to embarrassment as the reality of the situation finally set in. His cheeks turned a brilliant red.

"How romantic!"

The arena exploded with Monkey and Mantis' laughter, echoing off the walls and into the cloudless sky above.

Even Viper was blushing.

It took Tigress a second longer to grasp what had happened. A dull thud emanated from the floor as Tigress dropped the bird, not on purpose, but out of her own disbelief. Still in slight shock, she helped the shy Crane to his feet. They stood looking at each other, uncertain of what to do next.

"Tigress! Crane!"

The two students' shifted to face their master, unsure of what he would have to say...

"A draw! Excellent, my students**-**"

Tigress cocked her head slightly.

"Great defensive maneuvers, Crane**-**"

_Does Shifu even realize what just happened? Did he even notice?_

Apparently not, for the red panda continued as if nothing had.

"However, Tigress, it has come to my attention**-**"

Tigress was still in a slight daze, not fully aware of what was happening**-**

"That you have a serious problem controlling your emotions, particularly anger."

_That_ woke her up.

It wasn't until now that Tigress noticed the full state of the room. Sure, the two hooligans had cracked a joke and started laughing, but now their loud guffaws seemed to echo around the whole world.

_Anger?_

_Wait, ANGER!_

Tigress' eyes rapidly darted around the room, at Monkey, at Mantis, at Viper**-**

At Crane.

Crane's cheeks were still a blushing red as he raised his wing, lightly scratching the back of his head. His hat tilted clumsily as he did this.

_Arrgh, you stupid dolt! This is all your fault!_

Crane's gaze quickly shifted down, then back up. He looked Tigress directly in the eye (his hat still off-center), and...

And he smiled.

Then he began to chuckle, and then he began to laugh. It seemed the sheer absurdity of the situation had just caught up with him, and he couldn't help but join in laughing with the rest.

Except Tigress.

While, to Crane and the others, it seemed that Tigress was just a little embarrassed (something perfectly understandable considering the situation), the young feline was really in an ever-deepening fury.

The laughs were smothering, helping fuel her anger, each chuckle a heap of coal feeding the furnace of rage in her head.

And the furnace was getting pretty full.

_What the FUCK are you all laughing at, HUH!_

Tigress was fighting an internal war, fighting to keep her anger within.

_You don't have anger issues, just a slight temper**-**_

Crane walked toward Tigress, still smiling.

_FUCK OFF!

* * *

_

Crane still felt a little awkward, but letting himself laugh with the others certainly helped to ease his embarrassment. Tigress, however, still looked tense.

The young avian walked over, hoping to relax her nerves with a bow, traditional after any spar. The bird stopped roughly a foot from the feline and squinted, gazing into her eyes. Was that hate he saw?

No, just unease.

Crane placed his wings in front of him, tips barely touching. The master slowly bent over, looking down just in time to see an orange paw speeding up towards him.

* * *

The world seemed to become a blur to Tigress as confusion and rage took over. Blind spots appeared in her sight, and she realized that she was going to black out.

Completely shut out from her own body, she could only guess at what was happening, but one thing was certain:

Whatever was happening felt good.

_Real_ damn good!

As the world rapidly became engulfed by endless darkness, Tigress knew that this feeling of pleasure was wrong.

At that last moment, between mild awareness and complete unconsciousness, Tigress was given a final, horrific moment of clarity, only a single image, nothing more.

_Crane...?_

_What have I done?_

Tigress' world seemed to fade, fade away into oblivion...

* * *

**Right off the bat, let me clear up the confusion around the absence of a certain Panda. Yes, this is before the time of the Dragon Warrior, and I figured the bit about Chor Gom would be enough to clarify this without having to directly explain it (which would just seem awkward stated in the fic). I don't think I've ever put so much of my time into a piece of writing! So, now that you've read it, tell me what you think! As a writer, I am always open to feedback (both positive and negative) because, as a writer, it helps me become, well, a better writer! That means... Read n' Review!**

**(WOW! This is, like, five whole friggin' pages in NeoOffice!)**


	2. Realizations

**Hello ! So glad you could stop by! As many who have been following "The Silver Lining" know, the fic was recently placed on INDEFINITE HIATUS. Well...**

**APRIL FOOLS!**

**No, not really. The truth is that I kept trying to work on an alternate ending for another fic. To learn how the whole thing went down, head over to my profile. For those of you too lazy to do so, "the long story made short-esque" is that I couldn't do that, so I began on this. Read-N'-Review!**

**Chapter 2 – Realizations**

Morning.

The young feline lay on her back, yellow eyes wide, locking the ceiling with their intense stare.

There was thinking going on behind those eyes.

Her mind was tired.

Her body was tired.

But still she thought.

About yesterday morning.

About last night.

* * *

_Night._

_The sliding door remained open, just a crack, and Viper slid inside, trying not to make a sound._

_Her feline friend sat on the cot in the corner, and her eyes glowed fiercely._

_Viper doubted that there was anything fierce left behind those eyes tonight._

All I see is regret.

_She thought that Tigress had some idea of what she had done, but Viper saw something else in those eyes that made her think otherwise: uncertainty._

_They had all argued over who should tell Tigress (Crane included), and had decided that Viper be the messenger. The bearer of bad news._

Or good news, if you wanted to look at it that way.

After all, it could have been worse.

_Yes, she supposed, it could always be worse, but looking into those glowing cat's eyes made her - once again - think otherwise._

"_I hurt someone again, didn't I?"_

_The words sent a chill down the reptile's spine. They were hollow, almost childish, and not so much a question as a statement._

_Viper was the messenger because she was the "doctor" of the bunch, and could "explain everything way better" than any of the others could. She would have pointed out that any dummy could "explain" Crane's injuries, but the truth was that Crane's injuries were not the worst part._

_Viper swallowed, an audible "gulp" that made her wince._

_Then, she began.

* * *

_

Morning.

Tigress wished for relief from her thoughts, wished for _sleep, _but the cot she lay on could bring no such thing.

Last night's realizations led to only one conclusion: the rages were back.

_Maybe not _forever,_ you know-_

Yes, maybe, but even if it _was_ a single outburst, it was one too much, and Tigress was scared.

Tigress was terrified.

When Viper was in her room last night, Tigress had wished

_(hell, more like prayed)_

for the courage to tell of the rages, but such courage did not come.

Like sleep.

_And there's nothing I can do about _that.

The story which had escaped her last night had kept bouncing back and forth through her mind, everywhere at once, blocking all other thought. It was the story of the rages.

It was the story of her childhood.

It was the story of a child, hated and feared by all, a child with no family, no _future._

A child in an orphanage that felt more and more like a prison

_(hell, more like Hell)_

every time another person screamed at the monster, cried at the monster, turned away at the monster.

She _was_ a monster, and whether the rages came before or after didn't matter because _they were there,_ helping her to cope with the monstrosity of her being.

They helped her to cope, helped her to _embrace_ her anger and become the thing everyone thought she was.

Or, perhaps, had always been.

Then Shifu came, and everything changed.

At least, for a while.

And now the rages were back.

And the voice, the voice that had always helped her to cope, helped her to _embrace,_ was back, and

_(hell, I'm here to stay)_

_**.**_

_**..**_

**…

* * *

**

_**Well, there it is. Something not too long but nonetheless satisfying. The idea of the "rages" actually came from the Stephen King novel "Rose Madder", which I just finished.**_

_**Keepin' it short 'cause I have to go!**_

_**C'ya!**_


	3. The Market

**Hello ! Boy, am I excited to finally start writing again! I'm hoping that the last chapter, "Realizations," didn't feel too short. From here on out most of the chapters will be short, but don't worry: none of them will be as short as the last one. I felt I had to apologize because I didn't want anyone to think I was being a jerk. Or something. Anywho, I'm proud to present the next exciting chapter of "The Silver Lining!"**

**Chapter 3 – The Market**

Tigress was glad to be outside the Palace grounds.

The usually peaceful atmosphere of the Jade Palace had turned to one of claustrophobia and pain, and it had gotten to such a point that she felt she could hardly breath anymore. Viper, however, had given Tigress a way out, and for that she was thankful.

That cot was getting uncomfortable anyway.

She was on a mission now, tasked with searching for "medicinal herbs," and that meant the always-delightful trip to the market. The salty aroma of noodles, mixed with the sharp scents of spice and sweat, made anyone feel right at home among the constant hustle-and-bustle of the market. With its bright banners and constant roar of crafty merchants and haggling customers, it was easy for someone to get lost here, and that's exactly what Tigress most wanted right now.

_(except, no matter how lost you are, you'll still have me)_

She sighed, already having decided it was useless to try and shut the voice up, and continued trying to find what the reptile had written on the small tear of paper grasped firmly in her paw.

One obvious disadvantage to going out in public was the inevitable "fan sighting," and if you weren't careful, you might just end up spending your afternoon signing autographs.

Tigress smiled at the thought, and was even more delighted that such thoughts could still come to her at a time like this.

Tigress, being a feline, was extremely cautious and so, using her cunning, devised a perfect crowd-dodging strategy: she hid under a dark, oversized and rather ratty hooded cloak.

_Just another poor beggar for you all to ignore._

Yes, it was terrible, but the sad truth was that nobody cared about the Valley's many vagrants and vagabonds, and as sad as it was, it was still the**-**

"Hey, watch where you're going!"

Apparently, Tigress had gotten a little too "lost" and she quickly apologized to the old rabbit and her child that had crossed her path.

"I'm so sorry, madam, please forgive me-"

"You practically knocked my kid flat! What the hell's wrong with you?"

Tigress was about to reply that she wasn't paying attention, that it had been her fault, that she would be much more careful next time, when she stopped dead.

The young rabbit, who looked no more than four and seemed hardly phased by the collision, was holding a small paper doll of

_(who else)_

Master Tigress of the Furious Five.

Too late to pull back now.

Might as well just take it.

"My kid" looked directly into the "beggar's" eyes, then at her doll, then back at the "beggar" once more. Her look of curiosity quickly changed to one of suspicion to one of joy.

"_Look_, mommy! _Ti_gwess!"

Tigress looked into the face of the young girl's mother and saw something she hadn't expected: a look of dawning horror.

Without taking her eyes off Tigress: "Com'on sweetie, we need to go. _Now_."

Tigress stared after the rabbits, her jaw hanging open. Others nearby heard the young girl and regarded the Master with something that resembled disgust. Like the old woman, however, there was also terror in their eyes.

_What the hell's going on?_

_(two words: they know)_

It took a few seconds for her mind to register what the rages meant by that, and then a memory floated back to her from what felt like eons ago, something she had said to Viper during the reptile's first week at the Jade Palace.

"_Be careful what you say and who you say it to because words and rumors spread quickly in the village"_

Words spread quickly.

Now, Tigress looked down and could actually _see_ the crowd moving around her, nearly a yard of empty space between her and the nearest spectator. She could hear whispers

_(I heard she went berserk)_

among them, whispers

_(knocked him out with the first blow)_

that seemed to come from everywhere at once, old women gossiping

_(beat him when he was helpless)_

and little children laughing

_(bunch o' broken bones)_

about what the rages had done, what _Tigress_ had done.

She was a monster in their eyes.

A monster.

She was frightened.

She was confused.

And then they spoke.

The rages spoke.

_(do you hear what they're saying? I know you do, because _I_ hear what they're saying)_

_No._

_(and they need to be punished, like children)_

_No!_

_(the insolent fucks)_

_NO!

* * *

_

Tigress was fighting a battle on two fronts, one outside and one within.

She was consciously aware that she had fallen on her knees and was clenching her fists rapidly.

Open and close.

Open and close.

The air felt hot and heavy in her lungs, every breath seeming to be made of lead

_(the insolent fucks)_

and the worst part was that she felt like she was drowning

_(the insolent fucks)_

_(the insolent fucks)_

_(the insolent fucks)_

_(the insolent f**-**)_

_A single image._

_Crane, battered, bloodied._

_Very bloodied.

* * *

_

It was gone.

She opened her eyes slowly and her muscles began to relax.

Her lungs began to pump air once again and her heart-rate began to slow.

Saliva began to moisten her dry mouth.

It was

_(for now)_

gone.

Sleepily, she looked at the crumpled remains of her shopping list.

Crane could live without some stupid plant.

Master Tigress of the Furious Five had had enough of the local market.

In fact, a nap in her cot was what Master Tigress really wanted right now.

Exhausted, she began the long trip home.

* * *

**Like I said, short but not too short. I'm really hoping that the rages are becoming their own character in a way, but it's hard to tell what you're thinking when you don't tell me! Are they confusing? Do I need more than parentheses to let you know when they're speaking?**

**Also, the next chapter will go more in depth about what Monkey and Mantis were talking about in Chapter One – "The Injury." What did Shifu tell them? What was meant by it? And what will it mean for Tigress? Oooooohh, I'm getting myself all giddy just thinking about it!**

**Will update soon!**

**Read N' Review!**


	4. Loss

**My God was that first chapter horrible. Prolly the single worst thing I have ever read in my entire life.  
****Yech.  
****Here's the next chapter:**

**Chapter 4 – Loss**

Never, in all his time on this earth, had the midnight sky seemed more beautiful.

It hurt him to see the stars, shining in their ever-constant brilliance, and the moon, a beauteous maiden surrounded by millions of tiny admirers. The dark blue sky contrasted beautifully with the pink of the peach tree beneath which he sat.

Sitting. Huh.

The act of sitting felt so alien to him. He remembered when Viper had told him that he could no longer stand on his own. He remembered his reaction to the news:

"_...Huh."_

Now he chuckled at the memory. He thought it hilariously depressing that such a simple, one-word answer could sum up the entirety of his feelings.

"Huh."

His eyes began to tear up, and his lighthearted chuckle quickly degraded into a quiet sob.

Never, in all his time on this earth, had the midnight sky seemed more beautiful.

* * *

He reached for the wood crutch that had brought him up to this cliff, found it lying in the dirt. It was soft in the moisture of the evening, but he knew it to be plenty stable.

It had brought him all the way up to the peach tree, and he knew he'd be done for if it wouldn't bring him back down.

But it would. From now on, it would bring him everywhere.

His wounds stung at the thought.

With one shoulder against the tree and the other on the crutch, he managed to bring himself up to a shaky stance. Now he dug his feet into the cool dirt and, sure that he would not fall, he grabbed for his other crutch. It was a clumsy maneuver, but it got him what he wanted. Truly, he thought to himself, this is how a man well past his age must feel.

His respect for the ancient Master Oogway grew tenfold in that moment. He would have to talk with the Master about how he dealt with this cursed lack of mobility.

Confident in his balance, he took a small step from the tree and collapsed immediately to the ground.

Pain shot up his spine and through every part of his body; every muscle tightened like a rope. He gasped for air and, when none would come, gritted his jaw until his beak cracked and bled.

Slowly, too slowly it seemed, the pain subsided, and when he felt he could move again, the bird reached his wings out in front of him and began to crawl to the edge of the cliff. It was a slow process, but with a few grunts and a single curse word he managed to reach the edge.

From here he looked sadly upon the sleeping valley, which sat mostly silent, mostly dead, save for a few lights, a few restless souls still awake even at this ungodly hour. He wondered just what was keeping them up.

An inspired artist refusing to turn in from his latest work.

A frightened child too afraid to let in the night.

A sad cripple unable to reach the candle and extinguish it himself.

That last thought shifted his gaze directly down at the rocky abyss below. Terrible thoughts ran through his mind.

_C'mon, you're stronger than that._

But how could this happen?

Why him? Certainly there were others more deserving of such a punishment, right?

He sighed and let one disfigured wing dangle off the cliff. It swung limply in the light breeze.

Should he be angry at Tigress for doing this to him?

The avian's bored, bloodshot eyes continued to survey the silent landscape.

_Absolutely._

But _was_ he angry at her?

…He didn't know.

* * *

Soon it had gotten much too late, and he knew that if he didn't leave soon he would never make it back to the Palace by sunrise. Slowly he braced one wing underneath himself and pushed with all his strength.

It wasn't enough.

He couldn't get up.

In the morning they'll be looking for him. In the kitchen, in the pantry, in the training room.

They'll have to find him eventually.

And it was then, under the Peach Tree of Wisdom, that Master Crane truly felt old.

Old and alone.


End file.
